What is Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF)?
The specific behavior of macromolecules at or near surfaces, interfaces, and membranes is of primary interest in the biological sciences. Important applications include: adsorption of blood proteins on biomaterials in thrombogenesis research; the binding to and triggering of living cells by hormones, neurotransmitters, and antigens; cell adhesion to various surfaces; the mechanism of electron transport in mitochondrial and photosynthetic membranes; and also reaction rate enhancement with membrane receptors by nonspecific adsorption and surface diffusion of ligands. Most of the common analytical methods available for investigation of surfaces either lack the extent of surface selectivity required or demand relatively harsh sample handling that severely limits the biological relevance of any results obtained. However, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) spectroscopy has proven to be a very powerful and versatile technique for the study of surface and/or interfacial behavior of
